DAVIE, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins made the biggest free-agent addition this offseason by signing Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to a $114 million contract. But what exactly is the “Suh effect” and how will it impact Miami this season?

This week we asked Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin these questions.

“The best part about the addition is that what he is good at is the way we like to play defense,” Philbin explained. “He’d be an excellent player anywhere, don’t get me wrong. But system is important and the fit of the system and a player. So I think that, in and of itself, is a great starting point. I think he’s a great fit for what we like to do.

“Then, I think throughout his career, he’s demonstrated the ability to make plays and to impact a game. Whether it’s TFLs [tackles for loss], whether it’s just penetrating and forcing the ball carriers to bounce, whether it’s sacking the quarterback -- I think we’re going to see some of those. Now, what we’re also going to see is whether a team is going to commit X amount of resources to not allowing him to do that. That’s hopefully going to provide benefits, too, for other people. Those are things that are going to help. He obviously got a physical presence that’s a positive.”

Suh’s addition has raised the confidence in the defense. Players said this offseason that Suh will help make the other 10 starters’ jobs easier.

The only potential concern when the Dolphins signed Suh is the fact he has been fined or suspended in all five NFL seasons. A little-known stat for the Dolphins is they’ve been the least-penalized team in the NFL the past three seasons (see graphic).

The Dolphins signed Suh for his dominance on the field but must prevent him from crossing the line, which he’s done several times with the Detroit Lions.

“There’s a fine line,” Philbin said. “One of the things that we’ve done well over the last three years, I think we might be the least-penalized team in football. That’s how we want to play: Play, decisive, physical, but we want to play within the rules. Not just for him, that’s for the whole team. So obviously he’s a part of that defensively, and he’s certainly ready and willing to embrace that.”